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Top Tips for Staying Fit While Traveling

When you’re on vacation or traveling for business, it’s easy to forget about eating right and exercising. Living in hotels, eating fattening foods, and drinking calorie-laden beverages can do a number on just about anyone’s weight-loss goals. But just because you’re far from home doesn’t mean you have to forget about your healthy lifestyle. Read on for some tips on ways to eat right and exercise when you’re living out of a suitcase.

Hotel Fitness Centers

When you go away on vacation or on a business trip, there’s a good chance your hotel offers a fitness center. Hotel guests typically work out for free, so definitely take advantage. Run or walk on the treadmill, use the elliptical machine, or take a spin on the stationary bike. Whatever you do, use this opportunity to work out so you don’t feel so guilty about that huge steak you ate for dinner.

Work Out in Your Room

Don’t feel like working out in the hotel fitness center? Exercise in your room instead. A simple jump rope, light weights, or an exercise video can help you work up a sweat in the privacy of your own hotel room. Most hotels have Wi-Fi too. Using your cell phone or tablet, you can access exercise videos online through sites like YouTube or other streaming sites like YogaDownload.com – Stream at home, and Download when you’re on the go!.

Go for a Walk

Do you prefer exercising outdoors? Put on some walking shoes and take a walk around the neighborhood. You’ll get your steps in, enjoy the fresh air, and maybe stumble across interesting shops and points of interest. Keep a fitness tracker on so you can monitor miles traveled and calories burned.

Rent a Bike

According to Nylon, a fun way to get some exercise during a vacation is to rent a bike and pedal around town seeing historical sites or soaking up the local atmosphere. This is a fun way to explore when you’re vacationing in a warm, sunny location. You’ll get a good workout while taking in the sights.

Traveling With Your Dog

Traveling with your faithful canine companion is an excellent way to stay in shape. Dogs need daily walks, so walking your pup is the perfect excuse to get out there and get some exercise. And there are lots of other activities you and your dog can do to stay fit while on vacation. Trail running, hiking, yoga, and even dog yoga are just a few things you can do with your furry friend while enjoying your holiday away from home. To learn more about getting fit with your dog, check out this guide from Rover.com.

Eating Right

It’s important to enjoy yourself on vacation, but you don’t want to go home feeling bloated and sick because of overindulgence. Fortunately, there are ways to enjoy good food without sacrificing the good habits you follow while at home.

When you’re on vacation, don’t skip breakfast. By now, almost everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Reader’s Digest reports that you can find healthy breakfast choices no matter where you go. For example, even airports offer healthy choices like bananas and Greek yogurt.

Let yourself splurge on one meal. Whether it’s barbecue, pizza, or something deep-fried and delicious, don’t deny yourself the pleasure of eating it. Just make sure you do so in moderation. Choose one day or one meal where you get to eat anything you want. Then make wiser choices the rest of the time. For example, after eating something really fattening, choose smaller portions throughout the rest of the day.

Enjoy some “home-cooked” meals by booking a hotel with a kitchenette. You may even wish to stay in a rental house so you can whip up some healthy fare in a larger, fully equipped kitchen. Cooking your own food helps you control what ingredients go into it, ultimately making it healthier than the foods you buy from local restaurants, cafes, and street vendors.

Keep a refillable water bottle and healthy snacks with you at all times. This will discourage you from stopping to buy lots of junk food as you visit the local sights. Smart snack choices include nuts, protein or granola bars, fruit, and cut veggies. Of course, you may be tempted by more decadent snacks from pastry shops or ice cream parlors. That’s okay. Just make sure you eat those other treats in moderation.

Going on vacation can easily derail your commitment to exercising and eating right. The rich foods and late nights can tempt just about anyone to throw their diet and exercise plan out the window. But if you strive to squeeze some exercise into your day and eat high-fat foods in moderation, you can enjoy your vacation and avoid packing on those pounds.

Author Henry Moore - henry@fitwelltraveler.com

Need more ideas? Here are 5 Best Ways to Keep Eating Healthy While Traveling.